Hi folks!

A friend of mine recently sold me a box of Revell's venerable F-104C 1/72 kit. He also gave a set of microscale decals (#181) along but with only the Turkish AF and Greek AF left on the sheet - but these were for a F-104G version.

My question is:
1) Is there a difference between the F-104C and F-104G that Revell sells? I tried to check online for instructions - the only one I found was for a G. I compared it with what I had, and there seems to be no difference to the content. Unless they reworked the detail on the sprues themselves, am I right to say that the F-104G is simply a rebox?

2) I've heard that the Revell F-104C is a good kit. However, is it hard to convert to a G (So I can use the microscale decals)? I heard that there was just minimal changes made between the two. If that's the case - then why does revell market the C as a G model as well?

3) Should I watch out for any quirks on this kit? I've mostly built armor as a hobby and only have less than a dozen aircraft under my belt. I do like the NMF finish that US planes have and am planning to give this one that treatment.

Thanks folks!

Nigel,

The 104G had a larger (in cord) tail than the C, so there should be differences between the kits. I've never done the 1/72 Revell kit, so can't give you any personal guidance there, but there are some links to reviews of the kits here. You'll have to scroll down a bit to get to the 1/72 kits, but hopefully this will help.

Michael

The -C was only used by the USAF. It had a different radar and internal equipment which need not concern us. The instrument panel was different, as were the vertical fin and thin main wheels. They were very often fitted with a fixed refuelling probe.
Here's a -C

And this is a -G

Note how the rudder extends well past the end of the exhaust in contrast to the -C's short fin. Less visible are the main wheels which were wider to help support the -G model's increased weight (the main gear doors had squarish bulges to fit the wider wheels).
Many of the Turkish 104s were CF-104s purchased from Canada; they're distinguishable by the RWR receivers under the nose and tail. (I think that these come in the Revell kit; they may be marked "Do not use"). You can see them in this photo (look just below and behind the radome and directly below the flag in the tail; there's one on either side back there:


Anyway, it'll be a trifle difficult to convert your -C kit to a -G. Revell and Hasegawa did -G kits which shouldn't be that difficult to find. Built out of the box, it's an excellent little model, it's just that it won't do the version you want

@Michael - thanks for the tip. Not many reviews in english for the revell 1/72 kits available at scalemates unfortunately (mostly in Deutsch which is understandable).

@Jessie_C - wow, thank you for the comprehensive answer! I really appreciate the photos posted to show the difference. Reviewing the revell c and g kits - they actually do have parts marked not in use. The C version doesn't use the seats and parts of the rear fuselage of the G kit, and vice-versa. The bonus is: the C Kit I have seemingly has all the extra parts for the G kit, while the G kit being sold does not have some of the C parts (like the thinner wheels and seat).

Here's the sprue shot of the G kit.




The question in mind now is - did the G and C use the same rudder? The two kits use the same rudder, albeit attach to different rear assemblies.

Also, I'm trying to find a photo of the Turkish plane available in the microscale decal sheet (basically this one below), and it seems to not have the RWR receiver. I also googled turkish F-104Gs and there seems to be a few with the same setup





If that's the case, I'm hoping I have all I need in the box to build either that G or an american C with NMF I can't find any RWR option in the kit, so I'm hoping it will suffice. Thanks again! I've really no clue as how these things work (or even the parts of the planes). Might have to pick up a reference book to familiarize myself.

The rudder itself was very nearly the same shape, but the vertical fin of the -C had a smaller chord; the rudder ended before the exhaust nozzle did whereas the -G's rudder extended well beyond the end of the exhaust nozzle. The fin's aft edge was much more vertical than that of the -G.

Look at that second sprue in your shots, and then compare it to the one in this review. Look to the left of the tip tanks, which in your sprue shot is an empty square. There you will find the shorter -C tail parts. Note how the longer -G tail on the right is missing?


If your kit has the long tail, then that's a bonus for you There's a bit further down the page which shows sprue maps with both tail sizes.

As for the Turkish aircraft missing the RWR fairings, that's not surprising. Turkey bought its zippers from whomever would sell them. It may be ex-Luftwaffe, for example.

Oh, and that reminds me. The Luftwaffe, RNLAF and I believe the Belgian AF replaced the Lockheed ejection seats with Martin Baker seats which had faster ejection times. This was important when flying through the weeds in Europe. Once again, you may have that as an optional part. I can see it in the lower right of the sprue shots you've posted.

Next lesson: Wheel hubs.
F-104 A and C wheel hubs looked like this:

While F-104 G (and -J, CF and -S) hubs looked like this:

(Images borrowed from Eduard's superb Brassin sets.)

Oh wow, thanks for the additional info! Especially the review. I haven't stumbled upon a build of the original C version till now. I'm thinking of building this one OOB, but I'm sorely tempted to get another one and get all the details right.